Michigan falls to FOS Provence Basket in first game overseas, 86-68

The 2022-23 Michigan Wolverines men’s basketball team is finally together in France, as Youssef Khayat joined the team for the first time earlier this week.

In their first exhibition game on this overseas trip Friday, Michigan fell to FOS Provence Basket, 86-68. There’s no video of this game made to the public, and Michigan has kept a lot close to the vest when it comes to this trip.

We know that box scores don’t tell the full story in games, but that’s all we have to work with. Here are a few takeaways from the game, based on box score posted by FOS Provence Basket in this tweet.

•Star center Hunter Dickinson and Princeton transfer point guard Jaelin Llewellyn led Michigan in scoring with 15 points each. Dickinson also added 10 rebounds and Llewellyn made the most threes out of any Wolverine, going 3-for-7 from beyond the arc. Michigan fans should expect these two to lead the way in scoring in most games.

•The only player to score double-digit points was freshman Jett Howard, who had 11 points and shot 4-for-10 from the field while recording four fouls. Michigan struggled to find a tertiary scorer behind Dickinson and Eli Brooks last season, so hopefully Howard can be that guy for this year’s squad, with the upside to grow into a go-to scorer.

•To round out the rest of the freshman class, Tarris Reed Jr. had six points and five rebounds in just over 15 minutes. Dug McDaniel had six points and led the team with five turnovers, and Gregg Glenn made a three and grabbed three rebounds. Youssef Khayat does not show up on the box score.

•Two guys who have gotten a lot of hype this offseason did not put the ball in the basket. Sophomores Kobe Bufkin and Will Tschetter combined for zero points. Bufkin did record four assists and a steal, but Tschetter’s only counting stat recorded was a rebound. The other freshman from last year, Isaiah Barnes, poured in eight points and made both threes he shot.

•Clemson alum Gabe Devoe led all scorers with 20 points for FOS Provence Basket. TCU alum Garlon Green and French shooting guard Dylan Affo Mama each had 11 points.

•It’s important to look at games like this with a bit of perspective. This was the first time the young Michigan roster played together, and it played against professionals on the other side of the world. Exhibition games overseas are like NFL preseason games; obviously it’s sad if you lose, but it’s more important to see development and see what you have in your whole roster. Michigan has plenty of time to improve between and its first game against Purdue Fort Wayne on Nov. 9.

We’ll keep you updated as Michigan continues their trip overseas. The guys have been putting on a fashion show on the team’s twitter page, so make sure to give them a follow if you need some outfit inspiration.